Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers recently teamed up with Brandt Group of Companies and other sponsors to conduct a charity auction and event called "A Night to Remember." The event raised more than $1 million for Saskatchewan charities: $962,000+ of which was donated to the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan and $100,000 to Football Saskatchewan. Ritchie Bros. conducted the charity auction portion of the event and DER Resorts donated a luxury fishing trip vacation to Warm Springs Resort at Stuart Island, B.C. as an auction item. The eight-person fishing trip sold for a staggering $100,000.

"We have a large complement of employees who live and work in Saskatchewan, as well as thousands of customers, so we are very appreciative to be able to support one of the many causes important to Saskatchewan residents," said Kevin Tink, Ritchie Bros. senior vice president and auctioneer for the event. "This was an extremely successful event thanks in large part to the efforts of the team at Brandt. They made sure to fill the crowd with people who were there to participate, which helped make my job as an auctioneer a little easier. The results achieved in this charity auction will be hard to duplicate."

The event took place on July 18, 2014 and consisted of an auction, dinner and performances by top country acts including George Canyon and Blue Rodeo. Another unique item in the charity auction was a custom Saskatchewan Roughriders themed 1968 Shelby GT500 Mustang convertible signed live by four Rider greats: George Reed, Roger Aldag, Gene Makowsky and Chris Getzlaf. The Mustang commemorates the four Saskatchewan Roughriders Grey Cup championship teams. The car sold for $200,000.

"We're honoured to have hosted this great event and even more pleased with the result of over $1 million being raised to support these two worthy charities," said Shaun Semple, president of the Brandt Group of Companies. "This money will go a long way to further Alzheimer's research in our province and improve the life of people with dementia and their families."

"We're so thankful to Brandt and all the sponsors who made this event possible, and we're humbled by the generosity of those who stepped up to create such an incredible event," said Joanne Bracken, CEO of the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan. "Efforts like this make a huge difference to provide hope for a cure and to provide necessary support for those currently living with the disease."